The present invention relates to a reception circuit having delay units each of which applies a predetermined delay time to an output signal obtained by amplifying each echo signal of ultrasound, an ultrasound probe equipped with the reception circuit, and an ultrasound image display apparatus.
In an ultrasound image display apparatus, ultrasound is transmitted through a plurality of ultrasound transducers provided in an ultrasound probe, and the ultrasound transducers receive echo signals therein. The echo signals received by the ultrasound transducers are inputted to a reception circuit, where they are phased and added together. Consequently, a single reception beam is formed.
In this reception circuit, the echo signals are amplified by amplifying units provided for every ultrasound transducer. As shown in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-68957, output signals of the individual amplifying units are respectively delayed by a predetermined time at delay units, followed by being added together at an addition unit.
In general, a delay unit makes use of an RC circuit including a resistor and a capacitor. A number of amplifying units should however be used for the RC circuit. A resistor low in resistance value is used to reduce resistance noise. Therefore, the delay unit using the RC circuit increases in the amount of consumption of energy.